16 Countries with GDPR-like Data Privacy Laws

This article surveys the global uptake of GDPR-style data protection laws since the GDPR came into force in May 2018, highlighting two commercial motivations for adoption—extra-territorial reach and rules enabling cross-border data exports—and providing a regional overview (Middle East & Africa, Asia, South America, North America) with examples like South Africa's POPI, Thailand's PDPA, MERCOSUR negotiations, and Canada's approach; the author concludes that adoption is uneven but is likely to continue as countries and companies seek access to EU data markets.